Caleb Wilson scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and ignited a key second-half stretch in No. 18 North Carolina’s 73-61 win over Navy on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Luka Bogavac scored 16 points, Jarin Stevenson 11 and Henri Veesaar added 10 for the Tar Heels (5-0), who ended a five-game homestand to start the season.
Wilson, a freshman forward, has reached the 20-point mark in four games this season. He shot 9 of 13 from the field.
Austin Benigni scored 11 of his 19 points in the first half for Navy (2-3), which shot 6 of 21 from 3-point range. Jinwoo Kim added 14 points, but he and Benigni combined to make just 10 of 37 shots from the field as the Midshipmen shot just 30.4 percent from the field.
Navy committed just six turnovers compared to 13 for North Carolina. The Tar Heels held a 45-38 rebounding advantage, but their early hot shooting streak dwindled and they found themselves shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
Bogavac finished with three of North Carolina’s eight 3-pointers. Navy has scored 10 points below its average in its first three outings against Division I opponents.
Navy trailed 39-31 early in the second half before Wilson got going again. He dunk twice and made a free throw to complete a three-point play as part of the Tar Heels’ 8-0 run and the Midshipmen called a timeout.
The Tar Heels kept the momentum going with what became a 19-5 run in their favor.
The Midshipmen didn’t falter as Benigni connected on two 3s and two free throws in less than two minutes, allowing Navy to go up 68-59 with two minutes remaining. However, Stevenson’s 3-pointer gave the Tar Heels a double-digit lead again.
North Carolina led 38-31 at halftime, bolstered by Bogavac’s 12 points, including his two 3-point attempts. The Tar Heels held a 12-point lead earlier, but the first half ended with Navy holding a 14-12 advantage in points in the paint.
–Field level media
